First Home Buyer Blog
Tips, guides, and insights to help you navigate the first home buying journey — all explained in plain English.
Featured Articles
The reserve isn’t the price your schemes check
The reserve is the vendor’s number. Your stamp duty, grant and 5% deposit scheme are tested on the price you sign at. Here’s where the lines sit.
What Public Reserve Prices Mean for First Home Buyers
Victoria now makes agents publish the reserve 7 days before auction. Here’s how that changes your search and what it means for your borrowing number.
When Your Partner Has Owned a Home Before
Your partner owned a home before. Here's how Vic stamp duty, the grant, the 5% Deposit Scheme and Help to Buy each treat it.
How the New Tunnels Change Buying in Melbourne's West
The West Gate Tunnel and Metro Tunnel changed how the west gets to work. Here's how to test a commute before you buy and what it really costs.
What the Rate Rise Means for Your Borrowing Power
The RBA lifted rates again on 29 September. Here's how that flows through to what you can borrow, and what hasn't changed.
What Pre-Approval Actually Means Before You Bid
Pre-approval isn't a promise. What it covers, why it matters at a Victorian auction, how long it lasts and what can knock it over.
Buying Education
What Happens When an Auction Passes In
Your auction passed in. Here’s how Victoria’s rules work, who gets first go at the seller, and why there’s no cooling-off if you sign that day.
What Public Reserve Prices Mean for First Home Buyers
Victoria now makes agents publish the reserve 7 days before auction. Here’s how that changes your search and what it means for your borrowing number.
Signed the Contract? What Happens Before Settlement
Signed the contract on your first home? Here's what happens in Victoria between signing and settlement, from cooling-off to getting the keys.
Should We Wait to Buy? How to Think It Through
Waiting feels safe, but it's a decision too. What waiting can change, what it can't, and three questions to ask before you choose.
What Pre-Approval Actually Means for First Home Buyers
Pre-approval isn't a promise. What it checks, how long it lasts, what quietly breaks it, and why it matters most on auction day.
How Much Deposit Do You Need to Buy in Melbourne?
Breaking down deposit requirements for Melbourne first home buyers — from 5% with government schemes to 20% without LMI.
First Home Buyer Mistakes to Avoid
The most common mistakes first home buyers make and how to avoid them — from rushing the process to underestimating costs.
First Home Owner Grant (FHOG) Explained
Everything you need to know about the $10,000 First Home Owner Grant in Victoria — eligibility, requirements, and how to apply.
Variable vs Fixed Rates Explained Simply
Should you go variable or fixed? We break down the pros and cons of each option in plain English.
Suburb Analysis
What the New Reserve Rule Means in Melbourne’s West
Victorian auctions now show the reserve. Here’s what that means for first home buyers in Melbourne’s west, and why it still isn’t the sale price.
Point Cook vs Hoppers Crossing for a First Home
Point Cook or Hoppers Crossing? Commute, block size, the $600k stamp duty line and new vs established, to help you two decide.
How the New Tunnels Change Buying in Melbourne's West
The West Gate Tunnel and Metro Tunnel changed how the west gets to work. Here's how to test a commute before you buy and what it really costs.
Townhouse Closer In or House Further Out in the West
A townhouse near the station or a house with a yard further out? How the trade offs stack up for first home buyers in Melbourne's west.
New Estate or Established Home in Melbourne's West?
House and land in Tarneit or an established home in Hoppers Crossing? How grants, stamp duty, build time and commute differ out west.
Established Home or New Estate in Melbourne's West
Deer Park brick veneer or a new build past Tarneit? Commute, land size, schools and what the grant and stamp duty do to the choice.
Best Melbourne Suburbs for First Home Buyers (West Edition)
Our top picks for first home buyers in Melbourne's west — balancing affordability, growth potential, and lifestyle.
Is Melton a Good Spot for First Home Buyers?
An honest look at Melton as a first home buyer destination — median prices, growth trends, and what to expect.
Werribee vs Tarneit: Which Is Better for First Home Buyers?
Comparing two of Melbourne's most popular western suburbs for first home buyers — prices, lifestyle, and growth.
Money & Lending
How to set your top price before auction day
Your pre-approval isn’t your budget. How to work out the price you can really pay at auction, with duty, fees and the 10% deposit counted.
What Lenders Look For in Your Bank Statements
Lenders read your bank statements before they lend. Here's what they look for, from savings to BNPL, and why it matters more after a rate rise.
What the Rate Rise Means for Your Borrowing Power
The RBA lifted rates again on 29 September. Here's how that flows through to what you can borrow, and what hasn't changed.
What Pre-Approval Actually Means Before You Bid
Pre-approval isn't a promise. What it covers, why it matters at a Victorian auction, how long it lasts and what can knock it over.
Genuine Savings and What Lenders Actually Count
A gift from mum, a tax refund, your super release. Which of them a lender counts as genuine savings, and the rent trick many miss.
Does Your HECS Debt Stop You Buying a Home?
HECS won't block a home loan, but it does shrink what you can borrow. How lenders treat it, and what APRA changed in September 2025.
LMI Explained in Human Terms
Lenders Mortgage Insurance doesn't have to be confusing. Here's what it is, when you pay it, and how to avoid it.
How Your Income Affects Borrowing Power
Understanding how lenders assess your income and what it means for how much you can borrow.
What a Broker Actually Does for First Home Buyers
Not sure if you need a broker? Here's exactly what we do and how we can help you through the process.
Scheme Updates
The reserve isn’t the price your schemes check
The reserve is the vendor’s number. Your stamp duty, grant and 5% deposit scheme are tested on the price you sign at. Here’s where the lines sit.
When Your Partner Has Owned a Home Before
Your partner owned a home before. Here's how Vic stamp duty, the grant, the 5% Deposit Scheme and Help to Buy each treat it.
The 5% Deposit Scheme, One Year On
A year on from the October 2025 changes, here's what the 5% Deposit Scheme means for couples who were told they earned too much.
Off the Plan Stamp Duty Concession Extended to 2027
Victoria's off the plan stamp duty concession now runs to 20 April 2027. What qualifies, how it works with first home buyer duty, and the trade-offs.
Which First Home Buyer Schemes Stack Together
5% deposit scheme, Help to Buy, the $10,000 grant, stamp duty and super. Which combine, the one pair that can't, and July's new income caps.
First Home Super Saver Scheme, How It Actually Works
Save up to $50,000 per person for a deposit inside super at a lower tax rate. How the FHSS scheme works, the timing rules, and the trade offs.
Help to Buy Explained, the 2% Deposit and the Catch
Help to Buy lets you buy with a 2% deposit while the government takes up to 30% of your home. How it works, who qualifies in 2026, and the trade off.
How Single Parents Can Buy With a 2% Deposit
The federal 5% Deposit Scheme has a single parent stream. A 2% deposit, no LMI, no income cap, and no need to be a first home buyer.
Victorian Stamp Duty Changes — What's New
The latest updates to Victorian stamp duty rules and what they mean for first home buyers.
Federal First Home Buyer Scheme Changes
Updates to federal first home buyer schemes including the First Home Guarantee and Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee.
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